Adam Lambert addresses the gay casting debate: “I just want some equal opportunity”
Openly gay singer-songwriter Adam Lambert has weighed in on the controversial authentic casting debate. On 18 January, the Grammy-nominated artist made headlines after he criticised the idea of White Lotus’ Theo James playing LGBTQ+ icon George Michael. “Yay, another straight man playing a gay icon,” he wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post (per Pop Crave).
Shortly after uploading his post, pop culture enthusiasts flocked to social media to argue over the controversial gay casting debate while questioning the need for a George Michael biopic.
Drag Race star Marcia Marcia Marcia seemingly supported Lambert, writing: “Seeing a lot of negativity toward Adam Lambert in the responses to this [Pop Crave] post,” she tweeted. “Queer actors are constantly rejected for their queerness while their cishet counterparts are praised for being “brave” for accepting queer roles.
Queer people should get to tell their own stories.” After remaining mum on the topic for a few days, Lambert gave further insight into his casting opinions during a recent interview with Variety. “My actual comment – my little sarcastic comment on it – was [about] a straight actor playing a gay icon, which I think is a bit different,” he said while attending the Sundance Film Festival. “I by no means think gay characters should only be played by gay actors.
